Kitchenette cabinet



Jan. 19, 1937. E. L. BENNET "r KITCHENETTE CABINET Filed May 18, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 19, 1937. E. L. BENNET T KITCHENETTE CABINET Filed May 18, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 m W 8L 9 WW 2 a 1 w E I UMI 5L Z w/ r 1" 4y %;:i% Z 5 j j Jan. 19, 1937. E. L. BENNETT KITCHENETTE CABINET Filed May 18, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 19, 1937. E. BENNETT KITCHENETTE CABINET Filed May 18, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 E: i Q H w Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to cabinets and consists in a structure particularly adapted for use in small sized so-called efiiciency apartments, summer homes, rooming houses, nurseries, etc., where a single room frequently must serve a double purpose as kitchen and dining room, dining room and storage space,etc., although features of the invention are obviously not limited to thisparticular use.

An object of the invention is to provide a cabinet having storage space for dishes, food, etc., and also having a substantial refrigerating compartment which may be removed readily to facilitate access to the refrigerating mechanism.

Another object is to provide a cabinet door or panel structure contributing to the finished appearance of the cabinet but removable therefrom to be utilized as a table, preferably having folding legs for this purpose normally concealed from view.

Another object is to provide a neat and attractive cabinet adapted to enclose and conceal all of the equipment ordinarily necessary in a small kitchen, such as a stove, a serving table, arefrig- 25. erator, a sink, and water faucets, dishes, and

. other utensils.

Preferably the cabinet consists of separable units each formed complete in itself and all assembled readily and interchangeable with other units for different cabinet combinations and tofacilitate handling in shipment, moving, etc.

These objects and others hereafter appearing are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a front view of the novel cabinet.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the cabinet. Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the body of the cabinet but showing all of the cabinet doors in the closed position.

Figure 5 is a disassembled view of the novel hinge structure.

Figure 6 is a front view of the cabinet showing the compartments open.

The cabinet includes a base section I, upright compartment-forming sections 2 and 3 spaced from each other and mounted upon the base section, a pair of upper compartment-forming sections 4 and 5 mounted upon and overlying sections 2 and 3 and extending over the space between them. Sections l, 2, 3, 4, and 5 form a framework defining a chamber for receiving a refrigerator compartment 6.

Preferably each of the sections is formed as an door is positioned substantially inwardly from the 10 front face of the cabinet as defined by the front walls of sections I, 2, 3, 4, and 5, leaving a recess bounded by the adjacent portions of sections I,

2, 3, 4, and 5. A table panel IS with folding legs 36 fits neatly into this recess, concealing the door 15 of compartment 6 and its hardware, with elements typical of refrigerator construction, and forming a panel serving to unitize the cabinet design. The legs 36, when fully folded, fit into the recesses lBa in the inner wall of panel l6.

Preferably table i6 is hinged at one side to the adjacent side wall 29 of compartment 2. Each of the hinges 30 includes swiveling portions 3| and 32, the former of which is secured to the side wall 29 and the latter of which is in angular form including a slot 33 in its outer leg. Attached to the panel I6 adjacent its edge is a plate 34 mounting a swiveling pin 35 having an enlarged head adapted to be inserted in one position through the slot 33 and rotated ninety degrees to prevent withdrawal thereof from the slot.

This arrangement enables the user to swing the table It as a door, for occasional access to the refrigerator compartment, or to detach the member Hi from the cabinet and use it as a table. 35 The arrangement provides convenient means for storing the table in an out-of-the-way position and covering the refrigerator door, thus adding to the sightliness of the cabinet. The outer sur face of member I5 is decorated to conform with 40 the surface decoration of the remainder of the cabinet.

The entire fronts of compartment sections 2 and 3 comprise swinging doors l2 and I 3 hinged to the outer walls of the sections. The tops of sections 4 and 5 comprise doors 25 hinged to the rear walls of the sections to swing upwardly and rearwardly, and the fronts of sections 4 and 5 consist of panels 26 hinged to the front edges of doors 25. Stay-arms 21 will hold the doors 25 in upright position in which panels 26 will hang down. Lights 28 are mounted upon walls 25.

Compartment 4 is provided with an electrical outlet l8 and may be used for a small stove or other electrical unit. Slidable within the lower .the evaporator or cooling unit 38.

perforations 23 and at the other end of compartment 6 is an electrical outlet 24.

The space above the top shelf N in compartment 3 may be used for storing dish cloths, brushes, soap, etc., and preferably is provided with an inner door it of perforated metal which closes the front of this storage chamber and the end of the sink. The bread box in compartment 2 has ventilating openings 46. Also on the rear' wall of compartment 2 is a hook 45 for carrying a folding chair 46. Hook 45 may be large enough to support a plurality of chairs 46 and/or one or more chairs may be similarly mounted on the rear wall of compartment 3. Holes in the rear wall of compartment 6 are provided for water pipes 41 and drainage pipe 22. Secured to the rear walls of the top compartments 4 and 5 in line with the plugs l8 and 24 are the electrical connection boxes 50 and SI.

The refrigerator box 6 includes a storage compartment having the usual rack or shelf 31 and Above the storage part of the box 6 is a compartment 39 housing the compressor and other refrigerator mechanism. Projecting from the back of the refrigerator box is the ventilator device to enclosed at the sides and top and open at the bottom for admitting air to the cooling mechanism on one side of the panel 4| and permitting expulsion of air on the other side of panel 4|. Air spaces 48 and 49 are normally provided all around the refrigerator box when in position in the cabinet.

The refrigerator box 6 is movably mounted within the center compartment upon bearing rods 42, which slidably engage the top of base section i. Castors 43 are provided on the rear lower edge of box 6 beneath the ventilator for engaging the room floor to facilitate withdrawal of the box rearwardly from the cabinet to permit inspection and repair of the compressor through the top of compartment 39 without necessitating disturbance of objects stored in the refrigerator or other parts of the cabinet. The legs of castors 43 abut the rear edge of base section I to limit the forward movement of the box 6 into the cabinet.

The novel cabinet is adapted to contain substantially all of the equipment and storage space ordinarily necessary in a small kitchen and when all of the doors are closed the equipment is "thoroughly concealed. The outer surfaces of the cabinet walls and the various dcmrs will preferably be harmoniously decorated so that when all of the doors are-closed the cabinet will present an attractive appearance so as to be placed in a living room or dining room without marring the appearance thereof. The back of the cabinet will preferably be placed against a wall so as to conceah the ventilator, electrical connections, and chairs mounted thereon. Where the cabinet is connected with gas or water pipes, preventing movement of the cabinet as a whole, the castors 43 on the rear of the refrigerator box may be omitted and the box may then be withdrawn through the front of the cabinet for inspection and repair of the refrigerator mechanism through the open top of compartment 39.

The built-up or sectional construction of the cabinet renders it flexible in that additional sections may be added or certain of the prescribed sections varied without affecting the appearance of the cabinet as a single unit. All of the compartments may, however, be permanently built into the cabinet. Obviously the interiors of the various compartments may be arranged for different equipment as may be desired. The cabinet may be modified in these and other respects while retaining the various inventive features embodied therein, and the exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. In a cabinet, a compartment open in front and back and having side, top and bottom members, and a self-contained, fully insulated refrigerator unit normally located in said compartment and having a door in register with the front edges of said opening and having storage space accessible through said door, said unit having a refrigerator mechanism chamber, one of said cabinet members normally obstructing 'access to said chamber, said unit being separately removable from said compartment rearwardly of said opening to permit access to said chamber.

2. The combination of elements specified in claim 1 in which said mechanism chamber is in the top part of said unit, the interior of said chamber being conveniently accessible only through the top of said unit.

3. The combination of elements specified in claim 1 in which said compartment section side and top members constitute imperforate and stationary cabinet panels.

4. In a cabinet, a compartment having panels at the sides and bottom thereof, a self-contained and separately movable refrigerator unit normally located in said compartment and having bearings engaging said bottom panel and the floor beyond one edge of said bottom panel, said unit having storage space accessible through the front of said compartment and unit and a mechanism space accessible through the top of said unit and being slidable rearwardly of the cabinet from said compartment on said bearings to permit access to said mechanism space, and a removable closure for the front of said compartment, said floor engaging bearing being positioned to engage said cabinet bottom wall to limit the movement of said unit into said compartment so as to leave space for said closure member.

' EDGAR L. BENNETT. 

